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Treloar College takes on the Challenge again
10 March 2010
Treloar College, a specialist FE college for physically disabled young people in Hampshire, is doing the Challenge for the second time in 2010. Out of 50 students who started the Challenge in 2009, 30 completed it on time including Luke Brazil.
"Before I came to Treloar College, I was at a special school where I struggled with reading and writing. I've got a problem with my sight and I didn't like to admit to anyone that I couldn't cope in class. I was really nervous about having to read or write anything. I felt I was missing out in life because I couldn't read everyday stuff.
But when I came to Treloar College, the staff used their expertise to help me read. For the past year, I've been working on a one-to-one literacy scheme and my reading and spelling are a lot better.
When I found out that my tutor group were doing the Six Book Challenge, I was really excited because I wanted to improve my reading. I started off with easy books and the staff enlarged the text for me if it was too small to read. As I got better, I moved on to harder books and I started to really enjoy reading.
Before I did the Six Book Challenge I didn't want to visit a library. I was too embarrassed because I couldn't read. But now I feel good about libraries because our Learning Resource Centre has a range of books at different levels which I can read.
Since I did the Six Book Challenge, I have been getting more reading support from tutors and staff at Treloar College, so that I can keep improving my pronunciation and spelling. I have also joined the Peer Support Group at college where we listen to each others' problems and give advice. I feel I can understand people better now and I can express myself more easily because I know more words.
Being able to read has really boosted my confidence and I feel good about myself. Now I can relax and read about things I am interested in. If you are thinking about doing the Six Book Challenge but you have some 'hang-ups' about reading, I'd say 'Go for it!' You will never look back. You will keep going on and on to what you want to achieve in life."
